Kai Returns to The Vampire Diaries: Chris Wood Talks Regaining His Head, Chances of a Reunion With Bonnie

When we last saw Malachai Parker in The Vampire Diaries‘ sixth season finale, he was… oh, why don’t I just let this gif remind you:

kai-head

So, how is it that Kai’s head was very much intact when he resurfaced in the final moments of last week’s episode? Unfortunately, “there’s no great moment where you watch his head get stitched back onto his shoulders,” Chris Wood tells TVLine about his character’s villainous appearance this Friday (The CW, 8/7c).

“Kai’s back on Earth through some sort of loophole that happened when they rang hell’s bell — but he’s not as fully alive as he might seem” Wood explains. “He arrives in Mystic Falls fresh out of hell, so he’s still a little bit on fire, and he decides to order some food. As he’s eating it, he realizes he can’t taste anything, which is when he realizes he’s not actually alive and there, that there’s a force pulling him back to hell. It’s something the episode will explain, but it’s not as cut and dry as it seems.”

Now for the question on at least a few of your minds: Will Friday’s episode feature a “BonKai” reunion?

“Bonnie wants nothing to do with Kai, she doesn’t want to see him,” Wood says, thus shooting down all hope that the prison world pals might mend fences. “When she’s alerted of his presence, her response is that of wanting to create as much distance as possible between them — and for very good reasons. We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed and hope we get some magic.”

We’ll have more scoop from Wood on Friday morning, but for now, drop a comment with your hopes for Kai’s return below.